Dr. Eric Berg DC Bio:
Dr. Berg, 51 years of age is a chiropractor who specializes in weight loss through nutritional and natural methods. His private practice is located in Alexandria, Virginia. His clients include senior officials in the U.S. government and the Justice Department, ambassadors, medical doctors, high-level executives of prominent corporations, scientists, engineers, professors, and other clients from all walks of life. He is the author of The 7 Principles of Fat Burning, published by KB Publishing in January 2011. Dr. Berg trains chiropractors, physicians and allied healthcare practitioners in his methods, and to date he has trained over 2,500 healthcare professionals. He has been an active member of the Endocrinology Society, and has worked as a past part-time adjunct professor at Howard University.

As many of you know, Turmeric has health attributes that contribute to fighting inflammation. Those suffering from arthritis or joint pain have often have turned to Turmeric which lowers levels of inflammatory enzymes.

Turmeric is under study for its potential to affect human diseases, including kidney and cardiovascular diseases, arthritis, cancer, irritable bowel disease, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and other clinical disorders (source: Wikipedia).

Knowing that many of you already know this and probably incorporate turmeric into your diet as much as possible, lets get a conversation going about ‘how’ you take it, and how much… which may prove beneficial for others who read this:

About Turmeric:
Turmeric (native to southwest India) is of the ginger family and it contains chemical compounds called curcuminoids – natural phenols with a pronounced yellow color. Turmeric is the spice that gives curry powder its yellow hue and peppery flavor. Turmeric is one of the highest on the ORAC value list of ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) – ORAC units measure the antioxidant capacity of foods. Turmeric plants are gathered for their rhizomes (roots) which are boiled for about 30–45 minutes and then dried in hot ovens, after which they are ground into a deep-orange-yellow powder.

—————————Starwest Botanicals Organic Turmeric Root Powder, 1 lb.
—————————
(Turmeric on melted butter with pepper – then throw on the eggs…)
Note: Turmeric is not very soluble with water. A better way to take is with any sauté – just sprinkle it in. The moment you heat oil and add turmeric to it, it now becomes completely bio-available to you. It has been scientifically proven that adding pepper with turmeric will drastically increase the percentage of absorption into the body.

Note: Turmeric apparently not to be used during pregnancy.

Note: If a person is on blood thinners, talk to your doctor before taking turmeric.

Disclaimer: The information provided here, and the comments below, is not medical advice. It is recommended that you always do your own due-diligence and consult your doctor before using or consuming a product.
With that said, let’s get the conversation started…

If I decide to have eggs for breakfast, I will first add a dollop of butter to the heated pan, then add turmeric (about 1/4 tsp – but could probably do more) and black ground pepper. When it’s all visually ‘mixed’ I will then toss in the egg(s). I like them cooked ‘over easy’ – still runny 😉

An amazing report in the journal Nature Neuroscience reveals that after having a daily cup of cocoa* (details below) a test group of volunteers aged from 50 to 69 – “after three months had the memory of a typical 30- or 40-year-old.”

The study has revealed that cocoa contains ingredients that reverse age-related memory decline… But it’s not just any cocoa:

Columbia University Medical Center scientists published the results of a dietary experiment (the effects of flavanols extracted from cocoa beans) on the aging human brain (sources below).

The results were remarkable.

A group of 37 healthy volunteers aged from 50 to 69 were randomly divided in two. Each day for three months, they had a specially-prepared cocoa drink. One group consumed the drink with 900mg of flavanols, and the other with only 10mg of these compounds.

For those who consumed the high-cocoa-flavanol drink, “If a participant had the memory of a typical 60-year-old at the beginning of the study, after three months that person on average had the memory of a typical 30- or 40-year-old,” said senior author, Scott Small.Processing Raw Cocoa, or ‘Cacao’ vs. The Benefits Of Flavanols

For the study, a cocoa flavanol-containing test drink was produced and prepared specifically using a proprietary process to extract flavanols from cocoa beans.

Most modern commercial methods of processing cocoa remove many of the flavanols found in the raw plant whereas other specific (cold) processing does not.

Chocolate or Cocoa comes from the cacao bean (pronounced, cah-cow), which are the dried seeds of a South American evergreen tree (Theobroma cacao). It is also referred to as the cocoa bean.

Pure organic cocoa powder that has not been roasted or processed at high temperatures have the highest levels of flavanols and ORAC antioxidant power.

Note: One major reason why flavanols found in cocoa powder are often removed from commercial cocoa is because they tend to have a bitter taste (people like ‘sweet’ things). Unfortunately this process removes an apparent major health benefit…
Note: I have been purchasing the following organic raw cocoa for many years… It’s not your typical processed ‘sweet’ cocoa, but instead is cold-press processed from the bean rather than a heat process. I’ve learned to enjoy the unique taste, especially in a few of Mrs.J’s recipe drinks.

Cacao Powder Peanut Butter Cup Protein Smoothie Recipe

(vary it however you like 😉 )Note: Apparently, to preserve the quality of raw cacao, it should not be heated above 110 degrees. Boiled water should be cooled to that temperature before adding the cacao (for making a ‘hot chocolate’ for example). This is why I like the cold ‘smoothie’…

UPDATE: I have contacted Navitus Naturals and asked them regarding the flavanoid levels in their cold-pressed cocoa powder. This is their response:

Thank you for contacting us and for your question about flavanols in our Cacao products.

Flavanols are a sub-category of the major antioxidant category of flavonoids. Navitas Naturals uses a third party lab to test for the flavonoid content of our Cacao products.

Cacao Powder: 11% (Serving size of 14g = 1540 mg of flavonoids)

Cacao Beans: 6.8% (Serving size of 28g = 1904 mg of flavonoids)

Cacao Nibs: 3.4% (Serving size of 28g = 952 mg of flavonoids)

I have calculated (using my digital scale) the equivalent amount of their Cacao Powder to equate to 900mg of flavanoids (used in the study above) and is as follows:

2 Tablespoons Cacao Powder = 900mg flavanoids

14g = 1540mg (flavanoids)
8.2g = 900mg (flavanoids)

(1 Tablespoon cacao powder weighs 4g)

UPDATE: Regarding any concerns of Cadmium levels in Cocao…

Cacao is grown in Peru where there is a higher level of volcanic ash content in the soil, which makes the product especially nutrient rich and may also cause higher levels of some naturally occurring elements, like Cadmium.

A statement from Navitus Naturals regarding Cadmium:

Cadmium can also result from man-made sources like fertilizers, but fortunately our organic products are not grown with artificial fertilizers.

The amount of cadmium in foods is generally low. In the United States, people typically eat 2.5 micrograms of cadmium per kilogram of their body weight per week.

The EU recommended daily limit is 2.5 micrograms per kg body weight per week which for a 150 pound person translates to 170 micrograms per week or 24 micrograms per day.

One serving of our Organic Cacao Powder was well below the current EU daily limit for an average sized adult.

The Children’s Food Project report of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency found cadmium in 57% of the foods tested. The highest level of cadmium was found in breakfast cereal at .284 ppm. Ninety-seven percent of the nut-based products contained cadmium with an average of 0.053 ppm. Health Canada did not consider that any of the tested foods represented a concern to human health with respect to the cadmium levels.

If you are concerned about your cadmium levels, see your health care provider.

The author has no affiliation with Navitus Naturals..
Sources:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-10/cumc-dfr102314.php
http://www.nature.com/neuro/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nn.3850.html